Books by Brights

A Jewish Fugitive in Hitler's Europe

Description

My book is mostly about surviving under German occupation during World War II, and about its aftermath. But it also describes, on pages 232-237, my difficulties as a teenager of religious upbringing, who developed an increasing interest in science. Being raised in a pious Jewish environment, concepts deeply inculcated tended to conflict with the scientific evidences about which I loved to read. For a time, I could not overcome the fear of being wrong, of committing apostasy. In the end, I undertook an experiment, confronting my faith with provable science. On Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year, a day of fasting, I deliberately ate a grape. I was almost astonished that nothing as much as stirred. And suddenly I felt free.

About the Author

Alfred Feldman, a Holocaust survivor, arrived in the U.S. in 1950, studied chemistry and computer science, then worked mostly for the U.S. Government. After retiring in 1990, he wrote the book One Step Ahead: A Jewish Fugitive in Hitlers Europe, which was published in 2001.